


Unmasked

by rahelawriter



Series: Kinktober [1]
Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Amaurot (Final Fantasy XIV), Amaurotine Warrior of Light (Final Fantasy XIV), Awkwardness, Courting Rituals, Courtship, Engagement, F/M, Inspired by Hades and Persephone (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore), Kinktober 2019, Masks, Nudity, References to Utopia the book, Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-02
Updated: 2019-10-02
Packaged: 2020-11-10 18:34:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20856356
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rahelawriter/pseuds/rahelawriter
Summary: “Before marriage some grave matron presents the bride naked, whether she is a virgin or a widow, to the bridegroom; and after that some grave man presents the bridegroom naked to the bride.”





	Unmasked

**Author's Note:**

> Kinktober prompt list I'm using: https://kinktober2019.tumblr.com/post/187716977021/kinktober-2019-prompt-list
> 
> Today is Day 1: Masks
> 
> And inspiration for this topic came from here: (https://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/u/utopia-utopian-literature/summary-and-analysis/book-ii-the-discourse-on-utopia-marriage-and-divorce)

_All of Amaurot was abuzz with gossip; two of the Fourteen were rumored to be in the late stages of courtship and would soon be wed._  
  
And those rumors were true. Not that Emet-Selch would ever admit to it. He already had to deal with Hythlodaeus’ childish teasing, he didn’t need anyone else pushing their noses into his personal life.  
  
He pressed his lips into a thin line as he sat alone in an empty parlor. As tradition dictated, he wore nothing except for his mask; the ‘late stage of courtship’ in Amaurot required that he and his prospective bride behold each other… ‘in the altogether,’ as it were; they would then take off the other’s mask and truly look on each other for the first time. Such a gesture was deeply intimate and personal, and a rite of passage that every happy, healthy, and long-lasting relationship would have to take…

… But Hades couldn’t relax, thanks to the palpable presence of the chaperone that the Convocation’s frankly archaic law required for this. It was one of those rituals that nobody really enjoyed, but everybody was used to, so they just went through the motions; in essence, the supervision was in order to prevent any ‘inappropriate contact’ or ‘forbidden embraces’ between the prospective bride and groom when they were presented to each other. What were they, centenarians?  
  
At least they were professionals; the intended would each get a chaperone of the same gender to help them prepare, and Hades appreciated their stony quietude. But it still didn’t help how… awkwardly exposed he felt.  
  
Heaving a sigh and running a hand through his long, silvery hair, Hades slunk down onto his divan, chafing as his state hovered somewhere between ‘bored’ and ‘uncomfortable'. The room was dark, save for the lights that streamed in from outside and the hearth that was alight and warm with glowing fire-aspected crystals. A large window that took up most of the outer wall provided a splendorous view of the city.  
  
… Blast it all, where was she? He felt like a fool, waiting out here in the nude all by his lonesome.  
  
And then came the sound of the door on his left sliding open. Immediately Hades leapt to his feet, eyes falling on…  
  
“Persephone…?”

  
The form of the woman that entered the room fair took his breath away. He’d known Persephone for so long, and even when he sometimes acted aloof, he loved her. She was so much… softer, fuller, compared to him; her bare skin seemed to glow in the soft, blue light that filtered through the window. Her steps were light as she tiptoed closer, and Hades never noticed until now, she had a slight bounce in her stride that her robes kept hidden. The silken curtain of rich, russet hair tumbling over her shoulders and just reaching her waist. The only part of her hidden to him was her face, and the red mask was the one thing that reassured him that this was the right person.  
  
And for her part, she bowed her head as she looked him over, just slightly embarrassed, as she was no doubt feeling the gaze of their chaperones as well. “Hades…” Her lips pursed and pouted, and her hands clasped together. “You, ah… Mmm… You look nice…”  
  
“As do you, my dear.”  
  
“I knew from your bangs that you had white hair, but I wasn’t expecting it to be so long…”  
  
“My hair? Yours looks like it’s about to sprout flowers at any given moment.”  
  
With a smile and short puff of laughter from her, Persephone quipped, “Heh, perhaps not; with this stuffy company, any flowers would probably just wilt on the spot…”  
  
“Heh, too true.”  
  
“You know, it’s been bothering me all evening: both of us are on the Convocation. Why did neither of us think to change this silly law before we decided to get married?”  
  
Hades opened his mouth as if to answer her question before realizing how simple that would have been, and instead let out a defeated sigh. “… I don’t know.”  
  
The pair broke into some much-needed giggles about their shared mistake, (and how much Hythlodaeus would laugh at them both if he found out) lifting the tense air in the room before they moved back to the divan that Hades had been using before. Persephone sidled close to him, leaning on his shoulder with a grin.  
  
“Come on, love,” she said. “I wanna see your face.”  
  
“Ladies first, then,” he hummed, with a gesture to his mask.  
  
Slowly, Persephone raised her hands, tracing her fingertips along the contours of his red and white mask, savoring the moment before finally pulling it away. Despite himself, Hades felt a swelling of jitters as she looked on his face for the first time, well and truly feeling naked, now…  
  
… And then, she gasped, and broke into a grin. “Golden eyes! Aaaah, Hades, your eyes are so pretty! They’re like… the color of sunlight!”  
  
Hades blushed at the sheer, unbridled glee in her voice, her beaming, and feared she might see his heart beating through his chest… His pulse raced, and seemed to spread to his entire body. He caressed Persephone’s cheek, she leaned into his hand, almost like a cat. Featherlight fingertips reached the edge of her own mask; red and decorated with golden, vine-like swirls… He lifted the mask away, and her eyes opened to reveal…  
  
He knew the shade of her soul by heart, and he expected her eyes to be the same shade of purest sky blue. Or failing that, a light and vibrant green, to match her love for things that grew. But no, her eyes were a mix of both, not completely one or the other; he couldn’t match a name to the color of Persephone’s eyes, but they were such a riveting, deep, jewel-like tone…  
Damn these chaperones, desire like he’d never felt in all his years began to overwhelm him, he wanted to take her here and now…  
  
Leaning in close to Persephone’s ear, Hades murmured, “… I may need to speak with someone about moving up the intended date.”  
  
She shivered, leaning in towards him. “Wh-why…?”  
  
“Now that I know how stunning you are in the flesh, I fear my patience will not hold out ‘til our wedding night…”


End file.
